Sebastian Vettel claims fourth straight Formula 1 title

Sebastian Vettel has won the Indian Grand Prix to claim his fourth consecutive Formula 1 title and in the process crown Red Bull as constructors’ champions.

The German only needed to finish in the top five to secure the drivers’ championship, but led from start to finish at the Buddh international circuit to secure a sixth straight race victory.

Fernando Alonso was Vettel’s nearest rival in the standings prior to Sunday’s drive, but could only finish 12th after failing to recover from a first-lap collision with Mark Webber which forced him to pit early.

Nico Rosberg’s runner-up finish helped Mercedes climb above Ferrari into second on the constructors’ leaderboard, while his partner Lewis Hamilton finished sixth after starting third on the grid.

Lotus Renault’s Romain Grosjean continued his recent improvement by completing the podium for the third race in a row, just ahead of Felipe Massa in fourth, while McLaren’s Sergio Perez recorded his best finish of the season by crossing the line in fifth.

Kimi Raikkonen, Paul Di Resta, Adrian Sutil and Daniel Ricciardo were also among the points as they finished seventh to 10th respectively, but Webber pulled out with 20 laps of 60 remaining.

Vettel joins the likes of Michael Schumacher and Alain Prost in becoming a four-time world champion.